This may have been asked before but I am asking again...

Jan 7, 2013

Dear Shannon,

I know from reading the archives that hiv does not live well outside of the body. I dare say that you cannot catch hiv from fluids outside of the body because every moment those fluids are in an outside environment hiv dies a little bit more. How long, roughly, would you say hiv is infectious outside of the body in blood and bodily fluids though? Minutes? Seconds?

I ask because in my line of work I can come into contact with bodily fluids. I'm very concious of blood splatter and wear glasses to ensure this does not occur however occasionally I have come into contact with fluids outside of the body when I haven't been wearing gloves. This has been several minutes after they've left the body.

Any insight you could give would be appreciated.

Response from Ms. Southall

Hi
The way I try to explain it is by using the analysis of how a sponge dries. From the outside in.
It does begin to die immediately and is all gone in minutes. Hepatitis C is more of a concern in these scenarios than HIV, because hepatitis C survives much longer outside of the body.
Continue using your precautions and you should be fine.

This forum is designed for educational purposes only, and experts are not rendering medical, mental health, legal or other professional advice or services. If you have or suspect you may have a medical, mental health, legal or other problem that requires advice, consult your own caregiver, attorney or other qualified professional.

Experts appearing on this page are independent and are solely responsible for editing and fact-checking their material. Neither TheBody.com nor any advertiser is the publisher or speaker of posted visitors' questions or the experts' material.

The Body is a service of Remedy Health Media, LLC, 750 3rd Avenue, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10017. The Body and its logos are trademarks of Remedy Health Media, LLC, and its subsidiaries, which owns the copyright of The Body's homepage, topic pages, page designs and HTML code. General Disclaimer: The Body is designed for educational purposes only and is not engaged in rendering medical advice or professional services. The information provided through The Body should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or a disease. It is not a substitute for professional care. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, consult your health care provider.